


Unforeseeable Variable

by kittypox



Category: Hannibal (TV)
Genre: Alternative Meeting, Canon Divergence, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-07
Updated: 2020-07-07
Packaged: 2021-03-05 06:01:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,321
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25119562
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kittypox/pseuds/kittypox
Summary: As there is renewed interest in the Chesapeake Ripper, Hannibal sends Neal Frank to Bedelia with the intention of manipulating her dependence upon him. An unexpected interloper subverts his plans though and comes to Bedelia's aid, dashing his plans for her. This interests Hannibal.
Relationships: Will Graham & Hannibal Lecter, Will Graham/Hannibal Lecter
Comments: 1
Kudos: 23





	Unforeseeable Variable

**Author's Note:**

> My first foray into the Hannibal world! Based on a prompt from twitter; wherein Hannibal sends Neal Frank to Bedelia, but Will helped Bedelia. This interests Hannibal. It is squint-and-miss, one-sided burgeoning Hannigram.

Planning is of course the most important step of any operation, as it is to any meal. One cannot simply decide to take an action and plunge ahead riding on nothing but that decision; at least, not when it comes to his particular pastimes of choice. One must calculate, step by step, variable by variable, planning for any and every foreseeable outcome--and plan even for those variables and outcomes that cannot be foreseeable. 

Will Graham was an unforeseeable variable.

Seeing another car in the driveway when he arrived was his first indication that his plan had branched away from its intended path. It could still be salvageable though. Curiosity drove Hannibal to leave his car and enter the house. The door stood ajar; someone had entered hastily, drawn by Bedelia's cries of alarm he wagered. An intruder to his plan did not necessarily mean said plan was not fruitful, so he ventured further, stepping through the foyer and to the open living room where Bedelia held her sessions. Her sharp eyes flicked to him at the sound of his footsteps. Accusation burned like an inferno in her eyes. It did little to mask her fear. 

Alas, he could see that the plan had failed; still alive and sputtering on his back, another man hunched over him, instructing him on how to gather his breath.

"What's happened, Bedelia?" he asked, formally announcing his presence. 

The man hunched over the body jerked towards him, surveying him quickly before returning to the gasping body. 

The woman stuttered a moment, stiff and dazed on the carpet beside the two men. It took only a moment for her to gather her composure. Pushing to her feet, bedelia took a moment to smooth her skirt and tug at her blouse, a subconscious effort to right what had gone horribly wrong.

"I--" she paused, clearing her throat and continuing in a firmer, louder voice, "Mr. Frank was choking. I tried to clear his airway, but he panicked. He fell into the table."

She turned towards Hannibal. The man stared at her, face a placid mask. She knew better though, she knew behind that mask lurked a plethora of frustrated questions. She turned her gaze away a moment later.

"My next appointment, Will Graham, happened to be early. He heard the commotion and came to our aid. We were lucky; without his help, Mr. Frank would have died."

_As you had intended._

Hannibal cocked his head slightly, the unspoken accusation hanging the air between them. A sad failure, but there was more than one way to get Bedelia in his debt and keep her there. Regardless of what accusation lurked in her dark gaze, there was no proof of any foul play. His hands were clean of any responsibility; Mr. Frank was her patient, no longer his. 

She knew better than to ask why he was there and raise any immediate suspicion. 

With her silent compliance, he turned his attention to the situational savior. He should have felt ire, Hannibal supposed, but he was curious more than anything else. So rarely did people interfere in the troubles of others, even when those troubles could lead to death. It was human nature to not want to get involved. And yet, there that man was, kneeling beside Neal Frank, hand on the man's chest, guiding him through breathing exercises, a calm and steady presence to keep everyone else calm. 

He ought not linger. That would be suspicious. "I'll call an ambulance."

And with that he excused himself. The time it took for the paramedics to arrive gave him enough time to craft a reasonable excuse for his presence at the house. He made certain to be within earshot of Bedelia as he explained in a few brief sentences. Like a good accomplice, she parroted his story when asked for an explanation to the unusual circumstances. 

And then there was Will Graham. When the man left the house, trailing the stretcher and offering whatever insight he could, Hannibal noted a distinctly dazed expression on the man's face, as though greatly perturbed by what had transpired. And yet he had acted calm and rationally the entire time, the very definition of poise. 

"Mr. Graham."

The man looked at him, surprised to have been noticed. 

Hannibal offered his most pleasant smile. "We were lucky you were here to assist; Mr. Frank may not have survived otherwise."

"I don't know about that." Will replied in a hushed tone, as though he wished not to dwell on such a possibility. 

"Nonsense." Hannibal pushed."Had you not arrived early, the outcome would have been entirely different."

Together they watched the doors of the ambulance swing shut. Hannibal's intended outcome drove off with the living body of Neal Frank. Disappointment was muted. Bedelia could be persuaded towards his side by other means. He considered Will Graham's face a moment, trying to decipher what lay behind the man's rapidly blinking lids and what meaning lay in the hard lines of the younger man's face. 

"You are Bedelia's patient?"

The question drew Will's attention happily away from the present. "Patient? No. I had an appointment with her to discuss--" here he paused, as if remembering himself. Suddenly, the man's face was closed off. "I'm sorry, I'm here on official FBI business. 

FBI. Now that caught Hannibal's attention. "An agent of Jack Crawford, perhaps?"

The closed expression on Will's face gave way to one of surprise. 

Hannibal chuckled. "Please, don't look so astonished; I believe fate has led us to this strange intersection. It was I who told him to contact Bedelia, seeing as I was expected to be out of town for a conference and unable to consult with him on--what case was it? The Chesapeake Ripper?"

Dropping Jack Crawford's name had eased a tremendous amount of rigidity from Will's face. Seeing that Hannibal knew, or appeared to know, what the meeting with Bedelia was about, he reached to shake the man's hand, voice warm and welcoming. Hannibal was intrigued; very few people he had met had such a keen ability to turn their emotions on and off so soundly. 

"If you please, Mr. Graham. I doubt Bedelia is in a mood to speak at the moment, given such a traumatic session. As fortune would have it, the conference was canceled at the last moment due to a gas leak in the hosting hotel. I'd be happy to meet with you and Jack in her place, if you're interested."

Of course Will was interested, as Hannibal knew Jack would be interested. He trailed the man's car back into the city where Jack was awaiting, amused at this unexpected turning of events. he had not had any intention of inserting himself into the investigation, instead content to allow Jack and his fledgling team bumble their way through cases and evidence, overlooking every shred of valuable evidence in their inability to see his design. His safety was almost assured.

And now, there was Will Graham. When he spoke to Jack, the director had practically crowded in pride at his newest recruit to the case. A secret weapon of sorts, Jack had claimed. Someone with skills and insight that no other had ever been able to provide to the FBI. Initially, Hannibal had wondered if they had recruited a death row serial killer for insight. It would have been tactless, but Jack was desperate. Desperation then had brought Will Graham into the story of the Chesapeake Ripper. 

Perhaps the day had not been an abject failure. Bedelia's patient still lived and she was not yet totally in his debt, but she was obedient enough for the time being. He would allow himself to be content with the pleasure of a new pursuit. Will Graham piqued his curiosity and Hannibal had to admit he was always one to follow the whims of his curiosity. He wished to see now what would happen.


End file.
